


The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Part-time Wizard

by Kill3rWhal3D1ck



Series: NCT WayV Hogwarts AU [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mudblood is a slur, Newbloods are wizards or witches born to Muggle parents, Panicked Jisung all day everyday, Pining, Post-Hogwarts, Shotaro sees right through him, Strangers to Lovers, Sungchan tries to play it cool but he's a soft boy, Unrequited Crush, Wizarding fun times, past markhyuck - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27984855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kill3rWhal3D1ck/pseuds/Kill3rWhal3D1ck
Summary: While other teenagers took after-school classes in piano and Taekwondo, Jung Sungchan took after-school classes in witchcraft and wizardry at the National Education Of Newbloods (NEON) Programme. It was alot of work for sure, but he managed to cope, usually.What he HAD trouble coping with was Lee Donghyuck, the Hogwarts student tutor who Sungchan had the slightest crush on.Not that it mattered. Donghyuck never saw him that way and would never see him that way and that was FINE.Fast forward five years and Sungchan discovers that his new roommate Jisung is a newblood just like him. As Sungchan watches Jisung's clumsy induction into the Wizarding World and his equally clumsy courtship of one Zhong Chenle, he thinks thatmaybe,perhaps,possibly,he could shoot his shot with Donghyuck too.
Relationships: Jung Sungchan/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: NCT WayV Hogwarts AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593049
Comments: 21
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this fic idea for so long and after numerous tweaking and re-writes, the first chapter is finally here! Hope you enjoy it! 💖

Jisung stared at the wand in the cutlery drawer.

Sungchan stared at Jisung who was staring at the wand in the cutlery drawer.

“Why is there a wand in here?” Jisung asked slowly.

“ _Wand_?” Sungchan laughed nervously, scratching a back of his head. “T-that’s not a _wand_. That’s a stick.”

“It looks like a wand to me,” Jisung replied flatly. 

“Wait a second..” Sungchan said slowly. Jisung could practically see the cogs in his brain turning. “How do you know that’s a wand..?”

“So you agree!” Jisung said, eyes almost comically wide. “You agree that this is a wand!”

“YOU’RE A WIZARD TOO???”

* * *

Sungchan's previous roommate had moved to his own place across the city which left Sungchan wanting for a new roommate. Jisung was the first to respond to Sungchan's listing on a website for residential rentals and they came to a swift agreement. He moved into the second bedroom a few weeks later. Jisung was tall and lanky and sometimes ditzy in a cute sort of way. He was easy-going and wasn’t the neatest person but neither was Sungchan. They settled into a rhythm of living together that was comfortable.

Sungchan never would’ve imagined that a night of drinking alone in his room after a long day would eventually lead to him misplacing his wand, turning the entire apartment upside down in search of said wand, and inadvertently discovering that his new roommate was a wizard too. Specifically, a newblood, just like him. (Donghyuck told Sungchan that newbloods used to be called mudbloods but that slur was frowned upon these days. Thank goodness.)

All newbloods residing in the United Kingdom were offered a place at Hogwarts at the age of eleven. However, consent had to be given by their Muggle parents, without which they would not be able to enrol. To convince these Muggle parents, a Hogwarts recruiter would pay a visit to the homes of prospective newblood students. These recruiters were only rarely successful, with only 5% of all newbloods actually enrolling to Hogwarts. The poor success rate was expected. Even if a Muggle parent managed to get past the general weirdness of a Hogwarts recruiter turning up at their doorstep claiming to have magical powers and that their child had magical powers too, it was difficult to get them to agree to parting with their child for months on end to attend a school that they wouldn’t even be able to visit or see (Muggles couldn’t enter Hogwarts after all). And even if these parents agreed to send their children to a magic school that was invisible to them, it was still impractical. Going to Hogwarts meant forgoing “O” levels and “A” levels. What if their child couldn’t find a job in the Wizarding World? They wouldn’t have the qualifications to apply for Muggle universities or get a job in the Muggle world. It was too risky.

And then there was the question of discrimination. Usage of the slur "mudbloods" to refer to newbloods was normalised for decades and only became frowned upon for the past few years. The thought of a young child entering a strange new world alone where many would be unkind and unwelcoming was an appalling notion.

Many Muggle parents saw these Hogwarts recruiters as insensitive at best and as scammers at worst. Honestly, these weren't unreasonable conclusions, given the circumstances. Hogwarts was lucky to have any newbloods enrolled at all.

In the past few years, a band of young and passionate witches and wizards came together to provide an alternative education route for newbloods who never attended Hogwarts. Thus began the National Education Of Newbloods Programme (or NEON Programme for short), a Hogwarts-affiliated initiative. Newbloods could sign up to take classes on witchcraft and wizardry on a part-time basis, allowing them to be introduced into the wizarding world while continuing their Muggle lives. Students of the NEON Programme varied wildly in age from kindergarteners to college students and even some elderly.

The goals of these students and their families also varied greatly. Some were not too interested in being able to wield magic but simply wanted to be inducted to the fascinating cultural aspects of the wizarding world. Others were determined to study for the wizarding examinations on a part-time basis while still pursuing their muggle education full-time. Such students underwent a more rigorous curriculum issued by the Department of Magical Education with input from Hogwarts' professors. They would eventually sit for O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. examinations.

Jung Sungchan was one such student.

It wasn't because Sungchan was particularly interested in magic. It was because his Muggle parents were practical people who decided that educational qualifications in both the Muggle world and wizarding world increase their son's chances of getting a job in the future. It was a logical argument that Sungchan simply accepted with all the apathy of a young person who was more interested in soccer and MTV than he was interested in his future.

To Sungchan, going to NEON classes after school and during the holidays was very much like any other extra-curricular activity. While his friends went to piano or Taekwondo classes, he went to magic classes. No big deal.

Sungchan wasn't particularly interested in magic but he was quite interested in one aspect of the magical world.

One _person_ , to be specific.

Lee Donghyuck.

Sungchan was fifteen when he first met Donghyuck. A year older than him, the pureblood made the disdain he felt at their first meeting very clear.

"I'm Donghyuck. If I give off the vibe that I don't want to be here, it's because I don't want to be here." Those were the first words sixteen-year-old Donghyuck uttered to Sungchan as he sat opposite the younger boy in the NEON Programme classroom.

Sungchan didn't feel offended. Instead he felt an odd feeling of fellowship with this boy. Sungchan didn't want to be here either. He wanted to go home and watch anime.

"Why don't you go then?" Sungchan asked. His tone was light but his words obviously took Donghyuck by surprise. "Mr Qian won't be here for another fifteen minutes. If you leave now, you won't even see him on your way out."

"I can't," Donghyuck admitted, deflating slightly in his seat. "My cousin Doyoung will _kill_ me if I leave. He's always nagging me about 'building my portfolio'." Donghyuck said the last three words with air quotes. "And that includes volunteer work."

Sungchan hummed. "So nice of you to make the time for us newbloods," Sungchan said. Again, his tone was light and he gave Donghyuck a pleasant smile but that didn't stop the older boy from narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"You're.. welcome..?" Donghyuck replied, uncertain.

"I'm Sungchan by the way. Jung Sungchan." He reached into his bag and pulled out a packet of sour gummies. "Want a sour gummy?"

"Oh, sure!" Donghyuck leaned forward to fish a gummy out of the bag. The gummies were long and flat and coated in sour crystals. "What do they do?"

Sungchan had already popped one in his mouth and was chewing noisily. "Do?" Sungchan scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "It makes your mouth sour," he said, perplexed at Donghyuck's kind-of-stupid question. Weren't the Hogwarts kids they got to tutor them supposed to be high-scoring students?

"I know _that_ ," Donghyuck exclaimed, colouring a little. He stuffed the long gummy into his mouth then winced slightly at the sourness. "I meant do they like pop or make your whistling sound like birdsong or..?"

"Nope," Sungchan replied. "Just regular Muggle sour gummies. Sorry if they're too boring for you."

Donghyuck crossed his arms and frowned. "I didn't say they were boring."

"It's okay," Sungchan said casually while pulling another gummy from the packet. "I'm used to it."

"Used to what?"

"Used to you people thinking Muggle stuff is boring."

"Muggle stuff is _not_ boring," Donghyuck said hotly.

Sungchan smiled at him but it felt closer to a sneer, to be honest. "Did they tell you to say that in the briefing they had for the Hogwarts kids volunteering here?"

"No!" Donghyuck protested, almost puffing out his chest. "I'm said it cos it's true!"

"And you know this as a pureblood.. how?"

"How did you know I was a pureblood?" Donghyuck asked, his eyes wide.

Sungchan shrugged. "You got that vibe. That 'I'm a pureblood' vibe."

"Seriously?" Donghyuck seemed bummed out for some reason.

The younger boy nodded sagely.

"Whatever." Donghyuck proceeded to pull out his transfiguration notes and lay them on the desk between them.

Sungchan leaned back and his chair and gave Donghyuck an assessing look. First Donghyuck insisted that Muggle stuff isn't boring and then he seemed kind of embarrassed that he came off as very obviously pureblood. Most of the pureblood Hogwarts kids Sungchan met were quite proud to be pureblood.

What a weird wizard.

The words were out of Sungchan's mouth before he could reign them in. "Wanna get ice cream after class?"

"Huh?" Donghyuck looked at him, bewildered. "Evening class ends at 9pm. Florean Fortescue's is closed by then."

Sungchan shook his head. "Not at Florean Fortescue's. I meant at 7-Eleven or Sainsbury's."

"Ooohh... I don't have any Muggle money though."

_Excuses_.

Sungchan tried to tamp down his burgeoning disappointment. "Whatever," he said, shrugging it off.

Donghyuck snapped his fingers. "I know! You get us ice cream at Saybreeze-"

"Sainsbury's," Sungchan corrected.

"Sainsbury's. You get us Sainsbury's ice cream this week and I'll get us Florean Fortescue's ice cream next week. Next week's tutoring is an afternoon class so Florean Fortescue's will still be open."

Sungchan stared at him, stunned. "Florean Fortescue's is alot more expensive than pre-packed ice cream out of a freezer in Sainsbury's..." he replied weakly.

"So?" Donghyuck said, twirling his wand between his fingers. "I've never had Muggle ice cream in a freeze pack or whatever it is. It'll be a new thing for me."

"Okay." Sungchan couldn't help the laugh that bubbled past his lips. "Does this count as cultural exchange?" Sungchan teased. "Muggle culture and wizarding culture?"

" _Duh_. But like _better_ because there's _ice cream_ ," Donghyuck replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sungchan thinks he could learn to like Donghyuck.

* * *

Park Jisung could not believe he had allowed himself to be dragged into this situation.

Just this morning he had discovered his roommate Sungchan was a wizard. There was alot of freaking out ( _"What are the odds that another newblood would answer my ad for a roommate?" Sungchan exclaimed._ ) and one thing led to another ( _"You have to talk to Mr Qian, Jisung. Just once! And I promise I'll never talk to you about magic shit ever again," Sungchan pleaded_.). A few hours later he was in a sort of part-time magic school smack in the middle of a magical neighbourhood ( _Vertical Alley? Horizontal Alley?_ ) waiting to see a Mr Qian. Sungchan was seated next to Jisung, occassionally shooting him reassuring looks.

Jisung deeply regretted pointing out the wand in the cutlery drawer that morning. Also, maybe Jeno was right. Maybe he _did_ need to take a workshop on assertiveness and setting boundaries in personal relationships.

Compared to the other bizarre shops they had passed by in this magical neighbourhood, the building they were in looked blissfully normal. Parquet flooring and cream-coloured walls. Scandinavian wooden furniture and large potted plants (that seemed to be thriving a little too well indoors). In fact, if Jisung didn't look too hard at the notice boards that had posters with moving pictures on them, he could've fooled himself into thinking this was another building on campus at his university. The whole place had a very open, modern and youthful feel to it.

The two of them were in an empty waiting room in what looked like the office space of the part-time school. Jisung read the nameplate on Mr Qian's office door again. He hoped Mr Qian would see him soon because was starting to feel the beginnings of some worry-induced bowel action in his guts.

_Qian Kun_

_Director of Admissions_

" _Sungchan_!"

Jisung almost jumped out of his seat. There was a young man outside the waiting room they were in, screeching Sungchan's name so loudly it could be heard through the glass door. The young man pushed past the door and sat heavily in the chair next to Sungchan.

"I heard from the others downstairs that you came in. Here," He pushed a flyer into Sungchan's hands. He was carrying a whole folder packed with the same flyers. "You better come for my terrarium workshop. Or else."

Sungchan snickered as he read the flyer. "Or else what?"

"Or else I'm not coming to your birthday thing," the young man replied. He was handsome with jet-black hair and sharp cheekbones. His almond shaped eyes were alight as he tried to goad a response out of Sungchan.

Sungchan rolled his eyes. "You're _organising_ my birthday thing."

"Just cos I'm organising it doesn't mean I have to come," the young man replied smoothly. He turned to face Jisung and Jisung fought not to freeze up in his seat. "You should come too," the young man said, handing a flyer to Jisung. "My name is Chenle by the way."

"I'm Jisung." He gave Chenle a small smile and hoped he didn't look too nervous. "I umm.. I don't go to school here."

"I know," Chenle said, returning his smile. The young man had an easy confidence to him. "Sungchan was yelling about you in the group chat. You haven't talked to Kun yet though. He always manages to get through to prospective students."

"Wizards have group chats?" Jisung asked, baffled. "I thought you guys don't use technology."

"For the most part," Chenle explained. "Which is _sooo_ stupid cos Muggle tech rocks. It's different at NEON though. We all use cellphones and stuff. Not every newblood wants to keep a whole owl that the rest of their Muggle family and friends have no use for. Easier for all of us to stay connected online or through the phone."

Jisung nodded. He could practically envision the confused looks Jeno and Jaemin would give him if he ever told them he owned a living, breathing owl.

"I gotta go," Chenle said, standing up and brushing off the non-existent dust off his folder. "These flyers aren't going to distribute themselves."

"See you," Sungchan said.

"Bye," Jisung said, disappointed that Chenle couldn't stay and talk for longer.

"You should come to the terrarium workshop anyway, even if you decide you don't want to enrol at NEON," Chenle suggested. "I'll get Yangyang to let you in. He's a pushover."

"For _you_ ," Sungchan said, pointing at Chenle.

"As he should be." Chenle shrugged.

Jisung had never met Yangyang but he thought that maybe he could understand the feeling of being a pushover for Chenle.

One last wave goodbye and Chenle was out the door.

Sungchan bumped his shoulder against Jisung's. "You _like_ him."

"I do _not_!" Jisung sputtered. He could feel his face warm.

Sungchan laughed in a way that could be best described as silent cackling.

"If you say so.."

Just then, the door of Mr Qian's office opened and a friendly-looking man with shocking light turquoise hair walked through.

"Mr Park Jisung?" he said, giving Jisung a warm handshake. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm so glad Sungchan here brought you over. I'm Mr Qian." 

Mr Qian had a smooth, soothing voice and something about him made Jisung want to trust him. "Shall we move to my office to have a little chat? I'll briefly share about the work we do here. Then we'll discuss if you'd be willing for us to help you explore your place in the wizarding community. And help you acquaint yourself to our shared heritage."

Sungchan gave Jisung's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Jisung nodded, not trusting himself to speak for the moment. He was nervous as anything but he couldn't deny that a part of him was.. intrigued? Excited? Jisung's parents made no secret of the fact that Jisung was offered a place at Hogwarts when he was eleven. A witch had even come down to talk to his parents but the both of them had politely declined. It was too extraordinary to even consider and if the Park family was anything, it was careful. They stuck to what was tried and tested and Jisung understood that.

But now he was in university, on the cusp of adulthood. He was living away from his family home in a flat near campus. He was making decisions for himself and for his future.

Maybe magic could be part of his future. Who knows?

Mr Qian held open the door of his office. Jisung took a steadying breath and walked inside.


	2. Chapter 2

"So I heard Donghyuck is taking you out for your birthday," Yuta drawled.

Sungchan spun around to face his best friend. " _Shotaro_? You _told_ him?"

Shotaro held his hands up in placating gesture and gave Sungchan a sheepish smile. "I didn't know it was a secret."

Sungchan buried his face in his hands and let out a frustrated groan.

The three of them were having a late dinner at Eddyson's Eatery. Yuta had just finished his shift at Flourish and Blotts. His button down shirt was wrinkled and his hair was falling out of his low ponytail but he managed to make "long day at work" look chic somehow.

Shotaro was a fellow NEON student who had also opted into the wizarding examination track. A year older than him, Shotaro was the kind of person who appeared shy and reserved at first but quickly became outgoing and excitable when he warmed up to you. They swiftly became the best of friends, supporting each other through the onerous O.W.L.s and "O" levels period and the even more soul-sucking N.E.W.T.s and "A" levels period.

Shotaro met Yuta three years ago at the annual Flourish and Blotts book fair NEON organised for its students. When Yuta discovered that Shotaro was a Japanese student living alone in London, he promptly brought Shotaro under his wing. Shotaro _adored_ Yuta and Yuta was the human embodiment of that Brooklyn Nine-Nine meme that went "I've only had Arlo for a day and a half but if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself". (Replace "Arlo" with "Shotaro.") They looked absolutely nothing alike but Sungchan couldn't help but see them as blood brothers.

Brothers that have no secrets it seemed. This did not work in Sungchan's favour.

"Well it's not a _secret_. But it's not what you make it sound like," Sungchan said despairingly.

"What did I make it sound like?" Yuta asked, knowing very well what he made it sound like.

"You make it sound like a _date_ ," Sungchan replied through gritted teeth.

Shotaro, the traitor, just laughed heartily at the exchange.

"Come on Sungchan.." Shotaro said soothingly. "You know that I know that we know that you're low-key high-key hoping that this is sort-of kind-of a date-esque type situation."

"That was an unnecessarily long sentence," Sungchan said, for lack of better response.

"It's in your future, Sungchan," Yuta said. "Don't resist it. Just let your soul move towards what makes it sing and lie in the embrace of Fate."

Yuta would sometimes joke that he was a Seer. It was funny most times but today it was less funny. To Sungchan at least. Shotaro was nodding in agreement.

"It's just that.. You've liked him for so long, Sungchan," Shotaro said. "You two hang out alot. Donghyuck has been single for more than a year and he keeps complaining about being boyfriend-less. It seems like the right time, you know?"

"I'll strike you a deal," Yuta said, smirking as he leaned forward. "If you ask Donghyuck out, I'll stop asking you to pass my letter to Jungwoo."

Shotaro burst into peals of laughter. "You shouldn't be asking him to do that at all!"

" _Exactly_! Thank you!" Sungchan exclaimed as Yuta shrugged.

Sungchan regretted the day he ever brought Jungwoo to Flourish and Blotts. Jungwoo was an intermediate-level curse breaker and Sungchan's preceptor during his probationary period at the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes (DMAC). When Jungwoo mentioned over lunch one day that he was planning on pre-ordering a book he's been eyeing, Sungchan offered the use of his Flourish and Blotts elite membership card which allowed discounts on pre-orders. They headed to said bookstore after work. Unfortunately for Sungchan, Yuta was the one who handled Jungwoo's pre-order request. The Japanese man took an immediate liking to Jungwoo and was being over-friendly in a way that had Sungchan red in the ears and praying this wouldn't badly affect his probation assessment. He kept shooting warning glances at Yuta, all of which went ignored. Jungwoo, thankfully, was simply amused at the treatment.

"Your friend was very nice," Jungwoo had remarked as they left Flourish and Blotts.

"I guess," Sungchan mumbled.

A month later, Sungchan collected Jungwoo's pre-order himself and delivered it to his preceptor. God forbid Jungwoo go to Flourish and Blotts instead and run the risk of encountering Yuta again.

Sungchan had since passed his probation assessment with flying colours and attained junior curse-breaker certification. That didn't mean he forgave Yuta for flirting with Jungwoo.

"I think Jungwoo and I would make a cute couple," Yuta said as he twirled his pasta with his fork.

Shotaro giggled but Sungchan had no idea what was so funny. "How can you possibly know that? You've barely spoken to him," Sungchan said exasperatedly.

"Does it matter how much I've spoken to him?" Yuta asked. "You've spoken to Donghyuck for years and still haven't realised you two would make a cute couple."

"No we wouldn't," Sungchan retorted, ears burning.

Yuta just smiled knowingly.

* * *

Sungchan was eighteen when he decided he wanted to confess to Donghyuck.

Sungchan's batch of NEON students had passed their N.E.W.T. exams and the staff had organised a string of celebrations for the different NEON programme centres across the country for graduating students and their friends and family.

The London branch of the NEON prgramme had booked out the entire Sky Garden for the evening. The venue was awash with a soft glow. Metres upon metres of strung lights criss-crossed overhead in a way that looked artfully haphazard. Elegant brass chairs trailing slender ribbons of neo pearl champagne, the NEON programme's colour, dotted the event space in loose arrangements. Different groups of guests would bring some chairs together for them to sit for dinner before dispersing to socialise with other guests. The highlight of the venue was without a doubt the massive wall of window panels, which made for an amazing view. Guests marvelled at the evening sun swiftly giving way to night and the lights of the city below coming to life like many carefully arranged stars.

As there would be Muggle guests, magic was technically not allowed but the organisers managed to sneak in a touch of magic here and there. At the end of the night, no two guests could quite agree on fragrance that suffused the hall. One would claim it was a light, warm and woodsy scent while another would claim it was surely the delicious scent of roast beef (which was perplexing as roast beef was nowhere to be seen on the dinner buffet spread). Yet another guest would insist it was the refreshing scent of fresh laundry with a citrus undertone while another would argue that it was a sweet, teasing scent of cherries and mangos. In any case, there was no way to prove which guest was right. Scent was intangible after all.

It was when Sungchan's parents were deep in a conversation with Mr Qian (about the challenges of NEON students having to take a gap year after "A" levels to cram for N.E.W.T exams, an experience Sungchan had already survived and had no intention of reliving), that he decided to seek out Donghyuck.

Earlier in the evening, Donghyuck had come over to greet Sungchan's parents and give Sungchan a graduation bouquet as well as a tight hug. As a long-time volunteer, Donghyuck received automatic invites to all NEON events. When Donghyuck told Sungchan that he had taken leave from work specifically to attend graduation night, the younger boy was thrilled.

Donghyuck had been Sungchan's tutor at NEON until the older boy graduated Hogwarts two years ago. Sungchan had prepared himself for the possibility of them drifting apart when Donghyuck graduated but that day never came. They still remained friends, meeting up for lunch or coffee almost every other month if their schedules matched up. Sometimes Shotaro or a mutual friend of theirs from NEON would join them but for the most part, their meet-ups were just the two of them.

Sungchan had slowly developed feelings for Donghyuck, a fact that took him a long while to admit. (And it would've taken even longer if not for Shotaro's insistence on emotional honesty with regards to romantic feelings). Donghyuck was smart and witty and kind and tried to show up for NEON events as often as he could despite work commitments. He always made the effort to help make new NEON students feel included and was the self-appointed the mood-maker of every gathering he attended. His energy was infectious and Sungchan couldn't help but be drawn to it.

He had given it alot of thought and decided that graduation night was as good a time as ever to let Donghyuck know how he felt.

"Hey Donghyuck!" Sungchan said cheerily. He had found Donghyuck near the dessert table. The older boy seemed to be doing a careful analysis of the raspberry cheesecake, as though assessing whether it was worthy enough to be added to his plate and consequently his stomach.

Donghyuck looked up at mention of his name. "Sungchan!" he cried, setting down his plate and coming in for a hug. "You've been busy all night! I thought I wouldn't manage to introduce you."

"Introduce me to who?" Sungchan asked. He was already thinking of how to best ask Donghyuck if they could move to someplace quiet to talk.

"My boyfriend!"

It felt like all the air in Sungchan's lungs had turned to ice.

"Boyfriend! Wow! I'm so happy for you, Donghyuck!" Later on, when he was alone in his room, Sungchan would pride himself on replying without missing a beat and without his smile falling off his face. For the moment, it felt like his mind was suspended in time while his body and mouth moved on auto-pilot. "Who's the lucky guy? How long have you been together?"

Donghyuck picked up his dessert plate again and together they weaved through the crowd of guests. Sungchan could see a light blush colouring Donghyuck cheeks as he munched away on a chocolate eclair, trying to come off as nonchalant.

"Mark Lee. Do you remember him? We've only been together for a few days. He asked if we could get together last Saturday."

Sungchan struggled not to think too hard about how he had missed his chance by mere days and tried to anchor himself to the present.

"Of course I remember Mark," Sungchan said. How could he forget? Awkward Mark who had come to help out at the NEON Sports Day that year. He was so obviously smitten by Donghyuck it was almost comical, following him around and laughing hard at everything Donghyuck said. Sungchan had teased Donghyuck afterwards about having earned a fanboy and Donghyuck had laughed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Mark doesn't like me like that," Donghyuck had insisted.

Evidently he did. Sungchan watched Donghyuck approach Mark from behind. Mark turned around immediately, as though sensing Donghyuck's presence without him saying a word. He lit up when his gaze landed on Donghyuck.

Why did Sungchan's chest hurt?

"Hey baby," Mark said. He held Donghyuck's dessert plate for him and offered a glass of lemon water.

"Thanks, Mark. I was parched," Donghyuck said before taking a gulp of the beverage. Mark's face softened as he hummed in acknowledgement.

"This is Sungchan," Donghyuck said excitedly after he set his glass down. He linked his arm through Sungchan's and tugged him forward.

"Sungchan!" Mark declared, holding his hand out for a handshake. Mark had an unconventionally handsome face, made all the more charming by his smile. Sungchan shook his hand and returned his smile the best we could. "It's so great to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you. Who doesn't know Sungchan, Donghyuck's tutee and friend from NEON."

Sungchan laughed in response.

(Donghyuck's tutee and friend from NEON. That's all he was to Donghyuck.)

"I'm gonna be honest, I was kind of in awe when we met for the first time at Sports Day. To meet the guy himself after hearing so many great stories. It's just like 'Wow' you know?" Mark continued.

Sungchan chuckled. "What exactly have you been telling everyone at Hogwarts about me?" Sungchan asked Donghyuck. "I'm curious."

"That you are smart and handsome and tall. That's it, I swear," Donghyuck replied, feigning innocence. Sungchan rolled his eyes, a smile pulling up the corners of his mouth.

"Everything he's ever told us about you was good, man. Don't worry," Mark assured Sungchan with a warm squeeze to his shoulder.

The conversation flowed easily after that. Sungchan shared about how he passed the interview for DMAC.

"Those interviews are _so_ hard to pass!" Mark exclaimed. "Congratulations, man! For real!"

"Following in his senior's footsteps," Donghyuck declared dramatically while wiping away a non-existent tear. Donghyuck himself was employed at the DMAC and all his wild work anecdotes influenced Sungchan to apply to DMAC too.

"Shut up," Sungchan said, grinning wildly.

They eventually met up with a whole bunch of other NEON students and volunteers and became louder and rowdier as the night wore on. (After Shotaro learnt who Mark was, he kept trying to take Sungchan to the side to talk. Sungchan rebuffed all his best friend's efforts, insisting he was fine.) All in all, they had a ball of a time and when NEON's top scorer Lee Chaeryong gave the ending speech, Sungchan vision was a little blurry with tears. Mark had actually shed a few tears and Donghyuck would not stop clowning him for it. ("It's not even your graduation! You don't go to school here!" Donghyuck yelled. "She talked about _connectedness_ and _possibilities_ , baby. You know I fuck heavy with those themes," Mark responded.)

Before he left Sky Garden with his parents, Sungchan gave a final round of hugs to all of his friends. He even hugged Yuta, who proceeded to gift him an elegant incense set.

"It's ylang-ylang incense," Yuta explained. "It helps with sadness, or so I've heard."

Sungchan stared at Yuta in shock. "Sad? Who said I was sad?"

Yuta shrugged giving him a kind, almost apologetic smile. "I had a feeling."

It was then that Shotaro barelled into Sungchan's arms and practically forced him into agreeing to brunch the next day. Sungchan eventually relented, heart swelling at the concern his best friend was showing him.

Fate clearly abhorred Sungchan because his last hug of the night turned out to be Donghyuck.

"Proud of you," Donghyuck whispered as he wrapped his arms around Sungchan's neck. As always, Sungchan had to bend his knees a little to accommodate Donghyuck height. Despite it, Sungchan could never help feeling like their hugs felt like a perfect fit.

"Thank you," Sungchan whispered back, his arms tight around Donghyuck's waist. He tried to sear this moment into his memory. "I had alot of help."

Donghyuck snickered. "Anyone in particular who was more helpful than others?"

Sungchan hummed, pretending to take a moment to think. "Yeah I guess someone in particular stands out."

Donghyuck pulled back slightly to face Sungchan. Up close, his brilliant smile was almost too much to bear. "Care to drop a name?"

"Zhong Chenle," Sungchan replied. That earned him a bark of laughter of Donghyuck as he grabbed Sungchan by the lapels of his blazer and pretended to shake him. Mark was standing to the side, giggling at their exchange.

Sungchan's jealous heart was convinced it would find a way to hate Mark. But it couldn't. How could he be mad at Mark who was nothing but kind and attentive towards Donghyuck? Sungchan could understand why Donghyuck agreed to be Mark's boyfriend.

That didn't make it hurt any less.

Sungchan would admit it to absolutely no one, not even Shotaro, but later that night, after wishing his parents goodnight and climbing into bed, Sungchan had cried himself to sleep.

* * *

A week after enrolling at the NEON programme, Jisung had attended his first workshop as a NEON student. Sungchan had come with him, partly to support Chenle but mostly to support an exceedingly nervous Jisung.

Chenle's terrarium workshop didn't require any pre-requisite knowledge of magic. Absolute beginners of magic could attend which was why Jisung found himself standing awkwardly in a room full of tiny newblood children and their Muggle parents.

The workshop was held at a Muggle community centre. (Muggle parents wouldn't be able to bring their newblood kindergarteners to magic venues like Diagon Alley after all, so events held at Muggle venues were more accessible.) The community centre events board described the event as a gardening workshop. Some Muggle regulars of the community centre even tried to sign up but were told that it was fully-booked. ( _"Already_?" they would protest. "The workshop was written on the events calendar just this morning." The staff would simply shrug. "Maybe they had pre-registration booking.") If the Muggle staff thought that the "gardening supplies" that Chenle and his friends had lugged to the activity room looked a bit odd, they didn't say anything.

There were about twenty tables in the activity room, each with a small cauldron, an empty medium-sized goldfish bowl, a packet of soil and several glass pots of mysterious substances and seeds. Sungchan had wanted them to take up the table near the front but Jisung recoiled at the idea, insisting they take a table at the very back of the class.

"I don't know anything about magic," Jisung whined. "I don't want to look dumb in front of all these kids."

"Nobody here knows anything about magic! That's why it's a kid-friendly class. The beauty of basic potions is that you don't need any real skills beyond measuring and mixing. You just need to have magic," Sungchan had assured. "Besides, these are kids. They don't know anything about magic either."

"You _just_ said that all these kids are from the NEON playschool where they learn foundational knowledge about the wizarding world."

"Okay, fine," Sungchan relented. "They know a _little bit_ about magic but they definitely won't judge you for it."

Jisung wasn't so sure about that. 8-year-old Diana who was sitting at the table in front of him with her dad kept shooting him critical looks whenever he whispered questions to Sungchan.

Chenle was heading the workshop, walking the participants through the various steps of the potions needed to make a terrarium magically self-sustaining. He was a good teacher, giving clear explanations and peppering silly facts and stories in between to keep the participants entertained. He was shining with that easy confidence Jisung had come to associate with him. Jisung had to reel himself in from staring at Chenle with heart-eyes because nothing is more tired than the student-crushing-on-their-teacher trope.

Several of Chenle's friends from NEON had also come to help with logistics and to guide the participants through the workshop. Sungchan was familiar with all of them and kept introducing them to Jisung. Jisung appreciated the gesture but his mind was already swimming with potions instructions. He doubted if he'd be able to remember half their names at the end of the day, if he was being quite honest.

The first moisture and sunshine emulsion was easy and Jisung felt bouyed by the success of his first potion. He had even (foolishly) agreed when Sungchan asked if he'd be alright with managing the second potion on his own. Despite the help from Chenle's friends, there still weren't enough wrokshop guides to go around and some struggling participants were waiting on guides to attend to them. Sungchan flitted between tables, effortlessly filling the role of a guide.

Unfortunately for Jisung, the second plant mineral potion was proving to be a bit stubborn.

"It's cos you added two heaping tablespoons of powdered daisies," Chenle said after glancing at Jisung's plant mineral potion, which was lumpy and pink instead of smooth and blue. "You were supposed to use two level tablespoons."

"Oh," Jisung said, deflating. Would he have to start from scratch? Potions are hard. He was also not thrilled at the fact that his first conversation with Chenle today was over his failure to follow kid-friendly instructions.

Chenle chuckled. "It's no big deal," he said, pouring a few drops from a jar labelled "Flitterby Syrup." The potion changed to a clear light green solution. "Now add two level tablespoons of powdered daisies."

Jisung did as told and watched in awe as the potion changed again to a smooth, blue paste.

Jisung beamed. "Thanks!"

"It's nothing," Chenle said. Strangely, he sat himself on Sungchan's empty seat. "How are you finding NEON so far?"

"Well. This is my first NEON thing and it's really interesting. Sungchan introduced me to all the guides here too." Jisung replied. "Don't you have to walk around and help the others?"

Chenle hummed as he looked at the workshop guides. "They're managing okay right now. I can afford to take a short break." Then he leaned in, his eyes shining with curiousity. Jisung was suddenly acutely aware of their closeness. "Sungchan tells me you go to university."

"Yeah," Jisung said. "I'm a first-year undergrad."

"That's so cool. I watch Muggle shows. The NEON students are always recommending me stuff on Netflix. University looks really fun," Chenle all but gushed.

Jisung laughed nervously. "University in real life is kind of different from shows though. Wait. You have Netflix?"

Chenle shrugged. "Kun has Netflix. I just use his account. His password is so predictable. It's his anniversary date."

Jisung wondered if Chenle should be telling him the Netflix password of NEON's Head of Admissions. "I didn't know Mr Qian was married."

"He's not. Not yet at least. It's the anniversary of the day he and his fiancé got together. Like fifty years ago."

"Whoa, seriously?" Jisung exclaimed. Amazing. Mr Qian didn't look a day over thirty. He must use some kind of anti-ageing magic.

Chenle burst into peals of laughter. "Oh my gods, I didn't mean literally fifty years! He's still in his twenties! I joke about his age alot cos he's my older cousin."

"Right," Jisung said, feeling himself blush.

"You're cute." Chenle said it so naturally, like he was stating an obvious fact. "Are you in any clubs in university?"

"Clubs? I'm on the dance team," Jisung replied while willing his blush to go down. "We mostly do contemporary genres."

"I love dance too," Chenle shared. "Just for fun though. Nothing like being in a dance team. Do you perform often?"

"Oh yeah," Jisung replied. "We're actually rehearsing for a benefit concert next month. It's to fundraise for a few education-related causes around the city."

"Wow! Are you excited?"

"I am! I'm always excited to perform."

* * *

Retrospectively, Jisung realised that he should not have mentioned the benefit concert to Chenle.

When Jisung enrolled himself into the NEON Programme, it was with the conviction that he could keep his magic life and his regular life strictly separate.

That plan swiftly crumbled to dust on the day of the benefit concert. The dance team was dressed in their stage outfits awaiting their turn for hair and make-up.

"You're looking for _Park_ _Jisung_?" Jaemin said in a sickly sweet voice that filled Jisung with absolute dread. "Of course! May I ask for your name, friend of Park Jisung?"

"I'm Zhong Chenle!"

Jisung's lungs must have stopped working because he almost forgot to breathe. He looked up from his phone and saw none other than _Chenle_ talking to _Jaemin_ which absolutely should _not_ happen under _any_ circumstances.

" _Chenle!_ " Jisung cried, almost tripping over himself as he rushed over to where they were standing. " _What are you doing here?_ "

"You said your dance team was performing at a benefit concert and I wanted to support it!" Chenle replied cheerily, displaying no understanding of the gravity of the situation. "Sungchan and I were supposed to come together and surprise you but he had to take on a shift at the last minute. One of his colleagues had a family emergency. So it's just me."

"Sungchan said flowers are customary when attending a friend's performance so I got you these!" Chenle proclaimed, holding up a paper bag. Sungchan must have forgotten to clarify what kind of flowers. Jisung was expecting a bouquet of flowers but instead the pureblood wizard handed him a... potted plant.

"These are chrysanthemum morifolium and can be used to make tea," Chenle explained, clearly pleased with himself.

_So cute._

"Thank you," Jisung said, feeling so flustered and endeared that he didn't know what to do with himself.

Jaemin let out an exaggerated gasp. "That is so _sweet_ ," he cried, drawing out the last word in a way that made Jisung's toes curl in his shoes. "Your _handsome_ new friend who you _never_ told me about is here to _support us_ and he brought you _flowers_!"

"Who has a handsome new friend?" Jeno asked as he walked towards them, hair and make-up complete. Jaemin proceeded to gesture wildly at Chenle.

Jisung wasn't so sure why Chenle was laughing because all Jisung wanted to do was bury his own face in a pillow and scream.

"You should join us for the after-party!" Jaemin said with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah you should join us," Jeno chimed.

Jisung hated his best friends so much.

"Seriously? Sure!" Chenle said, eyes wide. "Sounds fun!"

"Yeah," Jisung sighed, resigned to his fate of being teased mercilessly by Jaemin and Jeno once Chenle was out of earshot. "Sounds fun."

It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being longer than expected! Took a while to write but I liked how it turned out! Hope you liked it too! Sungchan won't be sad for long I promise!
> 
> Comments appreciated heeheeee

**Author's Note:**

> It occurred to me once that not all Muggle parents of newbloods are like Hermoine's, willing to let their child enrol at Hogwarts. What about all the newbloods whose parents didn't like the idea of Hogwarts? Would they just fall through the cracks and never be part of the Wizarding World? What would be the best way to introduce them to the Wizarding World?
> 
> I also wondered about the job market in the Wizarding World. There can't possibly be magical jobs for every magical person. Some witches and wizards might take up Muggle jobs out of simple necessity. And of these witches and wizards, some might genuinely enjoy Muggle life. What are their challenges entering the Muggle World?
> 
> Sungchan and Jisung represent 2 kinds of newblood youth. Sungchan leans towards the Wizarding World but Jisung leans towards the Muggle World. Both paths are valid and both come with their own struggles. And along the way, both Sungchan and Jisung find love! Which is the part I'm most excited to explore!
> 
> Comments appreciated! 💖


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